Anime like Hidamari no Ki

Hyouge Mono

Studio: Bee Train , NHK , Sogo Vision
Status: Finished
Genres: Comedy , Drama

The story is set during Japan's Sengoku Jidai (Era of the Warring States) and centers on Furuta Sasuke, a vassal of the great warlord Oda Nobunaga and a man obsessed with tea ceremony and material desires in his pursuit of a fortuitous life. Having learned from Oda and the legendary tea master Sen no Soueki, Furuta walks the way of the Hyouge Mono.





Tags: Historical , Philosophy , Seinen , Biographical , Primarily Adult Cast , Politics , Primarily Male Cast , Male Protagonist , War , Samurai , Religion , Swordplay , Elderly Protagonist

Saraiya Goyou

Also known as House of Five Leaves.

Studio: Manglobe , NIS America Inc. , Doga Kobo , Xebec
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Mystery

Masterless samurai Akitsu Masanosuke is a skilled and loyal swordsman, but his naïve, diffident nature has more than once caused him to be let go by the lords who employ him. Hungry and desperate, he agrees to become a bodyguard for Yaichi, the charismatic leader of a group calling itself “Five Leaves.” Although disturbed by the gang’s sinister activities, Masa begins to suspect that Yaichi’s motivations are not what they seem. And despite his misgivings, the deeper he’s drawn into the world of the Five Leaves, the more he finds himself fascinated by these devious, mysterious outlaws.



Tags: Seinen , Male Protagonist , Samurai , Historical , Primarily Adult Cast , Crime , Primarily Male Cast , Swordplay

Dororo to Hyakkimaru

Also known as Dororo.

Studio: Mushi Production , Tezuka Productions , Fuji TV , Studio Jack
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Adventure , Supernatural

Hyakkimaru is a young man who lacks 48 body parts because they were taken from him by demons before birth, as payment by his father, Kagemitsu Daigo, to obtain his wish to take over the country. When the baby boy was born he was missing 48 parts of his body, and thus was abandoned—thrown into a river. Hyakkimaru has grown up and now has obtained fake body parts so he can eliminate the 48 demons that were made from his body, and to retrieve his missing parts. Along for the adventure is the boy thief, Dororo, with whom he becomes friends.



Tags: Youkai , Demons , Swordplay , Anti-Hero , War , Historical , Achromatic , Samurai , Gore , Dystopian , Body Horror , Disability , Travel , Time Skip , Crossdressing

Onihei

Also known as ONIHEI.

Studio: Studio M2 , TMS Entertainment , TMS Music , Techno Sound
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama

The historical novel series depicts Heizou Hasegawa, who metes justice on wrongdoers and supervises the crackdown on arsonists and robbers in Japan's Edo period (1603-1868).



Tags: Historical , Episodic , Swordplay , Male Protagonist , Crime , Tragedy , Police , Primarily Adult Cast , Samurai , Prostitution , Gore , Adoption , Primarily Male Cast

Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu

Also known as Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju.

Studio: Studio DEEN
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama

The story revolves around a mature prisoner who was released on good behavior during Japan's Shouwa Genroku era (1960s to early 1970s). He is called Yotarou by others, a term that means an "anti-hero" or a "dim-witted man." When he returns to society, he starts a new life in rakugo (comic storytelling). Touched by Yakumo's role as the "grim reaper," he asks the master to take him in as an apprentice. Most of the season delves into Yakumo's own past during World War II and the years afterward.



Note: The first episode aired with a runtime of 48 minutes as opposed to the standard 24 minute long episode.

Tags: Rakugo , Acting , Tragedy , Historical , Primarily Adult Cast , Josei , Male Protagonist , Love Triangle , Time Skip , Disability , Meta , War , Suicide , Elderly Protagonist , Primarily Male Cast

Dororo

Also known as Dororo.

Studio: MAPPA , Twin Engine , Tezuka Productions , Sentai Filmworks
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Adventure , Drama , Supernatural

Dororo, a young orphan thief, meets Hyakkimaru, a powerful ronin. Hyakkimaru's father, a greedy feudal lord, had made a pact with 12 demons, offering his yet-unborn son's body parts in exchange for great power. Thus, Hyakkimaru - who was born without arms, legs, eyes, ears, a nose or a mouth - was abandoned in a river as a baby. Rescued and raised by Dr. Honma, who equips him with artificial limbs and teaches him sword-fighting techniques, Hyakkimaru discovers that each time he slays a demon, a piece of his body is restored. Now, he roams the war-torn countryside in search of demons.

Tags: Demons , Revenge , Disability , Swordplay , Tragedy , Samurai , Estranged Family , Youkai , Anti-Hero , Orphan , War , Male Protagonist , Historical , Rural , Travel , Urban Fantasy , Gore , Philosophy , Crossdressing , Female Protagonist , Episodic , Body Horror , Tomboy , Kuudere , Shounen , Primarily Male Cast , Primarily Adult Cast , Ghost , Cannibalism , Heterosexual , Prostitution

Samurai Champloo

Also known as Samurai Champloo.

Studio: Manglobe , Fuji TV
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Adventure , Comedy

Let's break it down. Mugen's a reckless sword-slinger with a style that's more b-boy than Shaolin. He's got a nasty streak that makes people want to stick a knife in his throat. Then there's Jin, a deadbeat ronin who speaks softly but carries a big blade. He runs game old-school style, but he can make your blood spray with the quickness. When these roughnecks bring the ruckus, it ain't good for anybody, especially them. Enter Fuu, the ditzy waitress who springs her new friends from a deadly jam. All she wants in return is help solving a riddle from her past. She and the boys are tracking the scent, but there's 99 ways to die between them and the sunflower samurai.



Tags: Travel , Swordplay , Samurai , Rural , Historical , Orphan , Martial Arts , Anachronism , Episodic , Assassins , Primarily Adult Cast , Female Protagonist , Male Protagonist , Anti-Hero , Prostitution , Kuudere , Tanned Skin , Politics , Drugs , Yakuza , Ninja , Religion , Heterosexual , Crossdressing , Nudity , Language Barrier , Zombie , Noir , Baseball , LGBTQ+ Themes

Kimetsu no Yaiba

Also known as Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba.

Studio: ufotable , Aniplex , Shueisha , Aniplex of America , Madman Entertainment
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Adventure , Drama , Fantasy , Supernatural

It is the Taisho Period in Japan. Tanjiro, a kindhearted boy who sells charcoal for a living, finds his family slaughtered by a demon. To make matters worse, his younger sister Nezuko, the sole survivor, has been transformed into a demon herself. Though devastated by this grim reality, Tanjiro resolves to become a “demon slayer” so that he can turn his sister back into a human, and kill the demon that massacred his family.



Tags: Demons , Shounen , Swordplay , Male Protagonist , Tragedy , Primarily Teen Cast , Monster Girl , Revenge , Travel , CGI , Gore , Primarily Male Cast , Orphan , Mythology , Slapstick , Rural , Historical , Rotoscoping , Super Power , Body Horror , Coming of Age , Chibi , Time Skip , Snowscape

Black Jack

Also known as Black Jack.

Studio: Animax , Tezuka Productions , Central Park Media
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Adventure , Drama , Mystery , Supernatural

In the medical profession, there is a name spoken in hushed tones, of an unlicensed genius physician who can save lives—for a price. His name is Black Jack, and he is a dashing, moody figure, caped in black, a Harlock of medicine, a man who lives by no rules other than his own—and the Hippocratic Oath. A man who would defy the will of God himself in the name of preserving life.



Tags: Medicine , Episodic , Work , Foreign , War , Environmental , Male Protagonist , Seinen , Drugs , Primarily Adult Cast , Nudity , Dissociative Identities

Hotaru no Haka

Also known as Grave of the Fireflies.

Studio: Studio Ghibli , Sentai Filmworks
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama

In the aftermath of a World War II bombing, two orphaned children struggle to survive in the Japanese countryside. To Seita and his four-year-old sister, the helplessness and indifference of their countrymen is even more painful than the enemy raids. Through desperation, hunger and grief, these children's lives are as heartbreakingly fragile as their spirit and love is inspiring.



Tags: Tragedy , Survival , Orphan , War , Family Life , Historical , Primarily Child Cast , Autobiographical , Rural , Military , Homeless , Female Protagonist , Male Protagonist , Educational